Double angular cut glue block producing machine



April 14, 1953 7 DOUBLE ANGULAR CUT GLUE BLOCK PRODUCING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l Q aog -sl E. J. STAUFFER 2,634,769

April 14, 1953 J sT 2,634,769

DOUBLE ANGULAR CUT GLUE BLOCK PRODUCING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 gig. 2.

April 1953 E. J'. STAUFFER 2,634,769

DOUBLE ANGULAR CUT GLUE BLOCK PRODUCING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 JW' CW April 14, 1953 E. J. STAUFFER DOUBLE ANGULAR CUT GLUE BLOCK PRODUCING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 14, 1953 DOUBLE ANGULAR CUT GLUE BLOC PRODUCING MACHINE Edward J. Stauffer, Naperville, 111., assignor to Kroehler Mfg. 00., Naperville, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 14, 1948, Serial No. 8,360

1 Claim. (01. 143-38) The present invention relates to woodworking special machinery and is concerned more particularly with an apparatus which will out, under continuous production line methods, reinforcement or corner blocks such as are used in securing frame junctions in furniture, cabinet work and similar arts.

Under particular contemplation is the conventional manufacturing method for producing parlor furniture, including upholstered chairs, divans, etc., wherein a wooden underframe which may vary in accordance with changing styles, shapes and sizes constitutes a skeleton supporting structure upon which there is superimposed cushioning material and ornate coverings. In the integration of different sections of such frames, the accepted practice has been to utilize reinforcement glue blocks consisting of angularly cut gusset members which present two plane surfaces to be bonded against adjacent surfaces of frame junction elements. The intervening angle between such planes is not always one of 90 although right angle junctions in furniture framework may besaid to constitute prevalence over any other single example, and it is therefore desirable in the production of these glue blocks to be able to arrange for variation in the junction angle to a critical degree of accuracy, so that under production line assembly methods such as are known in larger furniture factories constancy of angular dimensions and reasonably close tolerances may be maintained.

Since the use of these glue blocks in a single furniture framework is customarily numerous and in order to maintain the cost of production at economical efiiciency, it is of paramount importance that the manufacture of these construction elements may be carried on at an extremely low cost. This objective is somewhat more difficult to achieve in connection with woodworking machinery for the reason that lumber dimensions must necessarily vary from time to time and from source to source due to the custom of relatively wide variances in dimensional tolerances among lumber producers and processors,

but more significantly due to the natural causes,

such as shrinkage, warpage, etc., which is an inherent characteristic susceptible but little .to

control.

Recognizing these conditions and circumstances under which the problem is to be solved,

it may therefore be stated that the principal object of the present invention is to produce a glue block cutting machine which will lend itself to a wide range of tolerance in stock supply variations and which will, nevertheless, produce reinforcement gussets for gluing, having accurate critical angles in respect to the planes of their gluing surfaces, and which will lend itself to ad justment for variation with respect to these angles.

Briefly stated, the invention consists of a continuously driven endless belt in which glue block lumber stock is supported in vertical position in a series of holders which progress through two or more cutting zones in each of which there is disposed an angularly adjustable circular saw blade. The saw blades lie in the path of the advancin belt line so as to effect an angular cutting of the stock carried therebyuntil the product block is severed from the stock material and permitted to fall into a collection receptacle to be carried away in tote boxes periodically to the assembly line position at which the blocks are installed in the furniture frames.

For a more comprehensive understanding of this invention, reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings and to the following detailed specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, and wherein,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a glue block cutting machine featuring two cutting saws and preferred apparatus for adjustment in connection therewith;

Fig. 2 is a planview of a complete belt feed mechanism powering apparatus and adjustable sawing station mechanism for two positions;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view taken approximately on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with portions broken away and featuring the adjustment mechanism for one of the station saws; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the portion of the belt conveyor apparatus lapproaching the first of a series of saws and featuring the construction of the adjustment or gauge mechanism whereby the stock is maintained at various heights in order to regulate the length of each gusset or glue block;

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken approximately on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig.- 6'is an enlarged perspective viewof an exemplary glue block such as is produced by the machine under disclosure, and such as is used .in-securing together and reinforcing frame juncframework junctions indicating variations of glue blocks or gussets and their application to various furniture junction angles.

In the accompanying drawings, the reference numeral 1 l, Figs. 1 and 2, designates generally one of the end frames made of angle iron componentswhich' may be secured together by bolting or riveting and may be symmetrically similar and opposite to the end frame [2. these members support cross beams 13, l4, l5 and I6, also of angle iron construction, and upon;

vided with an individual electrically driven motor l9 and 22 having in its frame mounting lugs 2| whereby it is secured to a pair of cross beams 23 and 24.

At its ends each cross beam 23 and 24 isdrilled and-threadedso as to receive a'cap screw 25 which passes through an arcuate slot 26 in its related one of a pair of side plates 2'! or 28. The side plates 21 and 28 are rigidly supported at difierent elevations in the framework as best indicated in Fig. 1 wherein the side plates of the saw unit I8 will be observed as disposed at a higher elevation than those of unit H.

The arcuate slots 26 are of such a lengthas to correspond with an angle of about 30 at an imaginary center near the cutting zone, and cooperating with such slots 26 are another pair of slots 29 in the side plates 2'! and 28 of similar angular length but of shorter radius with respect to the imaginary center of rotation. The guide slots 26 accommodate the supporting beam 23 while the guide slots 29 accommodate the supporting beam 24. In this way the housings of blade with respect to'the conveyor apparatus,

each is mounted on the flange 33 of a securable collet 34 carried on its respective motor shaft.

"When changing the cutting angle by rotating the supporting position of its motor housing, an operator is required but to loosen the cap screws Together i frame 58.

25 whereupon the supporting beams 23 and 24 V are made free to move each in the'path afforded byits related arcuate slots 26 or 29. In order torelieve this task and to' make it more ac- :curately' controllable, each motor unit is further provided with a circular cross beam 35 having trunnion pins 36 at its ends which extend into elongated slots 3'! in brackets secured to themoa vertically disposed adjusting shaft 39. The

adjusting shaft 39 of motor unit I8 is equipped with a hand wheel 4| at its lower end and is "j'ournaledin a bracket 42 swingably anchored to the angle iron member l4, while the corresp'onding shaft oiunit I1 is provided with a hand 'wheel 43 at its upper end journaled in a similar difierences in' the positions at which the respective units are disposed in connection with the 'common feed'belt that both are adapted'to serve.

Particular attention/willpow be directed to the conveyor system andthe apparatus for gauglflg the StOCk' during" its travel therewith; The

"cutting saws. In order to give further rigidity to the tubular 4 reference numeral 45 indicates a power driven feed sprocket journaled on a vertical pivot 46 whose teeth are adapted to mesh with the links of an uppermost conveyor belt chain 41. A similar sprocket wheel 48 meshes with the lower belt 49, Fig. 4, so that the two are. driven in unison under impetus of the shaft 46 whose driven pinion 5! is chain coupled through the driving chain 52 with a driving sprocket 53 disposed in a horizontal plane and. anchored to a shaft 54 which projects vertically from a gear reduction box 55, Fig. .2. I

Gear reduction box 55 is worm driven under the power of an electric motor 56 supported on a platform 51 in the center of the conveyor belt The speed obtained through this power reduction system is preferably such as to drive the conveyor belts 41 and 49 at a suitable rate consistent with the ability of the saw blades 3! and 32 in accomplishing their'severing operations. Driving sprockets 45 and 48 rotate clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 thereby imparting a similar rotation to the sprocket wheels 59 carried by the idler shaft 6|, as well as to the entire conveyor system indicated by the direction of movement arrow 62. Corresponding links in the two chains 41 and 49 are provided-with carrier brackets, Fig. 3, designated 63 and 64. Brackets 64 may be directly secured as by welding to the inner surfaces of the rectangular tubes or sockets 65 contributing thereby a principal mode of support, while the brackets 63 are correspondingly secured to specially shaped exten sions 66, Fig. 3, each of which may be welded as at 67 to the lower extremity of its related conpasses completely within theplane of each "saw blade 3| or 32 as it is carried by the conveyor system through the two cutting positions, the'ele ments of the conveyor mechanism itself are thereby assured freedom from interference with the receptacles 65, there is provided an alignment bar "H carried on one end by a bracket 12 secured as at T3 to the side plate 2'! and atthe other end by a bracket '14 to the side plate 28 or unit IS. The forward edge of alignment bar H is adapted to rest firmly against the-front faces of the rectangular receptacles 65 as they pass before the two cutting positions and thereby is provided a mode of damping possible vibrational effects such It will be understood that-in accordance with the rectangular space of each receptacle 65 there is afforded a maximum capacity to lumber stock, but that when smaller cross-sectional stock'isintended to be used. each receptacle 65 is fitted with a two dimensional liner comprised of the elements 76 and 77. See also Figs. 5 and 7. These elements are provided with uppermost lip portions 18 to prevent their displacement or sliding through while" filling in the space which is left vacant by lumber 19 of smaller cross-section than that corresponding to full capacity. It will be understood that for any special shapes theelements' 16 and l'lcan be correspondingly varied in dimension whereby the apparatus may be made to accommodate a wide variety of stock.

Beneath the conveyor chain 11 and shaped so as to be disposed in alignment with the path traveled by the receptacles 65 is a principal supporting track 81 at the level indicated in Fig. 4 on which previously remaining edge of the stock 69 is adapted to rest, In this way the stock is supported throughout its travel after leaving the final sawing unit 11 and before approaching the initial sawing unit IS. The foremost end of track 81 in the position indicated in Fig. 4 is held by a supporting iron 82, similar supporting members being provided as at 83 about its course. As the stock ceases to be supported at the point 84, it drops a distance until it encounters the adjustable support platform 85 held in accordance with the position in which its legs 86 are regulated and secured by the wing screws 87. As the stock passes beyond the platform 85, it is thereafter held in position successively by the tensioning yieldable member 99 and the spring urged tensioning bars 9% and 92, Figs. 2 and 3. Bars 91 and 92 which are similarly constructed are under tension of a plurality of spring loaded guide rods 93 supported for parallel movement by the brackets 94 in a supporting frame 95 of which there are shown four in Fig. 2. Thus, it will be understood that the lumber stock is gravity supported during its idle travel and is placed under tensional support during its cutting engagement with the several saw stations.

In operation a caretaker will load the receptacles 65 with lengths of lumber stock and start the conveyor into operation. The saws 5'5 and i8 will be continuously in rotation and adjusted to impart the angular cut to the surfaces 95 and 91 of block 99 in accordance with the particular type of frame junction, having in mind variations such as are illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. In practice it has been found that the angle of adjustment afforded by the arcuate slots 25 and 29 in the guide plates 2'1 and 28 being of the order of 39 is ample to accommodate the range of variation required under all conditions. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art, however, that special departures in this regard wil1 require but few variations within the teachings herein disclosed.

While the present invention has been explained with reference to exemplary disclosures, it will be evident that modification thereof may 'be made without departing from the essential spirit or scope of this invention. Accordingly, it is not intended to be limited by the particular language of the foregoing description nor by the details illustrated in the accompanying drawings, except as indicated in the hereunto appended claim.

The invention claimed is:

In a lumber stock severing machine, a pair of endless chain conveyor belts moving in a horizontal course about pairs of vertically pivoted sprocket wheels, a plurality of tubular lumber stock holders carried by corresponding links of said endless chain conveyor belts, a pair of power driven circular saws disposed at intersecting planes and at different stations in said conveyor course, means for adjusting the angular positions of each of said power driven saws, within a predetermined angular range, said means comprising for each saw a pair of side plates having concentric arcuate slots, saw supporting beams carried by and confined in said slots, screw jacks for raising and lowering said power driven saws through arcuate paths guided by said slots, supporting rails for maintaining lumber stock throughout the major portion of said horizontal course, and spring tensioned retaining bars disposed parallelly to the path of travel of said conveyor for retaining said lumber stock during its travel past said saw stations.

EDWARD J STAUFFER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 39,110 Beaudreau July 7, 1863 62,990 Anthony Mar. 19, 1867 287,462 Perkins Oct. 30, 1883 383,148 Robideau May 22, 1888 446,510 Cummings Feb. 17, 1891 603,541 Rood May 3, 1893 1,210,208 Roach Dec. 26, 1916 1,449,599 Gregory Mar. 27, 1923 2,228,055 Howard et a1. Jan. 7, 1941 2,238,805 Dotterweich Apr. 15, 1941 2,261,696 Ocenasek Nov. 4, 1941 2,292,872 Eastman Aug. 11, 1942 

